Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement with Igor Tudor to become interim head coach until the end of the season following the dismissal of Thomas Frank. The announcement came on Friday, February 13, 2026, two days after the club sacked the Danish manager amid a relegation battle.
Tudor, a 47-year-old Croatian and former Juventus centre back, emerged as the leading candidate after Spurs assessed multiple options for the temporary role. He is expected to take his first training session on Monday and will make his debut in the dugout during the north London derby against Arsenal on Sunday, February 22.
The former defender’s immediate priority is securing Premier League survival. Tottenham sit 16th in the table with 23 points from 26 matches, just five points above the relegation zone. The club has won only two of its last 17 league games, contributing to Frank’s departure on Wednesday.
A verbal agreement is in place for Tudor to manage until June 2026, with only final contractual details remaining. He will return briefly to Croatia before commencing work at the club’s training ground in Enfield. Tottenham plan to appoint a permanent successor during the summer transfer window.
Frank was dismissed following a 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle United on Tuesday night, ending his tenure after less than eight months. The Dane arrived from Brentford in June 2025 to replace Ange Postecoglou, who departed despite winning the Europa League and ending Tottenham’s 17-year trophy drought.
Despite positive results in the Champions League, where Spurs finished in the top eight and qualified for the Round of 16, domestic form proved catastrophic. Frank recorded the worst win percentage of any Tottenham manager in the Premier League era. The club paid £6.7 million in compensation to Brentford to secure his services last summer.
Tudor has been unemployed since October 2025 when Juventus dismissed him following an eight-match winless streak. The Italian club sacked him just four months after awarding him a two-year contract. He had initially joined Juventus in March 2025, replacing Thiago Motta when the team sat fifth in Serie A outside Champions League qualification places.
The Croatian stabilized Juventus immediately, losing just one of 11 matches to guide the club to fourth place and secure Champions League football. However, results deteriorated sharply at the start of the 2025-26 campaign, prompting his dismissal with Juventus eighth in the standings.
Tudor previously managed Lazio from March to June 2024, taking over from Maurizio Sarri after the former Chelsea manager resigned following a fifth defeat in six games. He won five of nine matches, losing once, to secure seventh place and Europa League qualification before resigning at season’s end.
His managerial career includes spells at Olympique Marseille, Galatasaray, Udinese, Hellas Verona and Hajduk Split, where he won the Croatian Cup in 2013 for his only major silverware. Tudor typically employs a three-at-the-back formation and has developed a reputation for producing immediate short-term improvements at struggling clubs.
Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino remains prominent in discussions about the permanent appointment. The Argentine currently manages the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) ahead of the 2026 World Cup but could return to north London afterwards. Other candidates reportedly include Roberto De Zerbi, Oliver Glasner and Andoni Iraola.
